Can Conveyancing Software Really Reduce Working Hours? What We Found in the Hoowla Data

At every legal event we’ve attended this year, one theme has come through loud and clear: conveyancers are stretched.

Teams are doing everything they can to maintain high service standards, but many are working beyond their contracted hours to make that happen. The SDLT deadline earlier this year only added fuel to the fire, as firms raced to push cases through before the cut-off. Even firms using Hoowla closed thousands more transactions in March compared to the same month the previous year, with families eager to complete ahead of the changes.

The pressure is undeniable, and the working hours? Often overwhelming. But this got us thinking. If Hoowla’s mission is to support firms in managing their caseloads more efficiently, through smart automation, better oversight, and intuitive tools, then we wanted to find out: is it actually helping teams log off sooner?

We weren’t looking to challenge anyone’s lived experience. Rather, we wanted to examine our own system from the inside. With so many users across the country, we had a unique opportunity to check whether Hoowla was delivering on its promise of making life easier, not just in terms of features, but in time saved.

To begin, we selected four firms that have been using Hoowla for more than five years. These weren’t similar operations; in fact, that was the point. One firm operates at high volume, another is family-run. One is a multi-branch high street practice, while the final firm has recently expanded from a medium-sized operation into something much larger. Between them, they represent a broad cross-section of the UK conveyancing sector.

We focused on the month of March and the SDLT period, analysing their login and activity times to calculate average working hours, from the moment the system was first accessed to the last action recorded that day.

Going in, our expectation mirrored what the industry has been reporting all year: long hours, late nights, and an average working day that extends far beyond the traditional nine to five.

Instead, the results pointed to something different.

Across all four firms, the average working day came in at just over six hours. It surprised us too. So much so, we went back, cross-checked our parameters with the development team, and re-ran the reports. But the results were consistent.

When we looked closer, the patterns by role became clearer. Firm owners and senior fee earners were working longer hours, around eight to nine per day. Support staff, trainees, and assistants were averaging five to seven. At the largest firm in our sample, senior leaders were putting in nine to ten hours, which isn’t unusual for their level of responsibility. But overall, the picture was one of a more balanced working day than we’d anticipated.

The next question was obvious: does this shorter working day impact how quickly cases are completed?

To find out, we reviewed completion times. The fastest firm in the group had an average case lifecycle of 78 days, while the slowest was averaging 145 days. Combined, the four firms recorded an average completion time of 112 days, faster than the 2024 industry average of 120 days.

For context, a broader analysis we conducted previously, across over 350 Hoowla-using firms, placed the average purchase case at 125 days, and sales at 151. That suggests the firms in this smaller sample are not just logging off earlier, but doing so without sacrificing performance.

Read more about our average transaction time study and the data we compare to.

It’s important to say that we don’t expect this to reflect the experience of every firm. Even among our own users, there are businesses working longer hours due to team structures, client volumes, or simply the pace they choose to work at. But these four firms give us a credible snapshot. They’re diverse in size, location, and setup, and they’re all managing to deliver results without excessive hours.

We believe that Hoowla plays a part in that. Whether it’s removing repetitive admin, automating document generation, or improving communication between teams and clients, our software is designed to simplify the day-to-day work of conveyancing. It helps teams track progress, stay connected, and manage cases in one place, reducing the need to switch between systems or chase updates manually.

We also know that flexibility matters. Not just for the well-being of individuals, but for the sustainability of the profession as a whole. That’s why we give firms complete control to tailor workflows, monitor performance, and adapt the system to fit the way they work. And when something goes wrong or needs tweaking, our UK-based support team is ready to help, no ticket numbers, no bots, just a real person on the end of the phone.

We’re not suggesting that software alone can fix every challenge in the industry. But when used well, it can create space. Space to log off on time, to step away from the desk, and to reclaim some of the balance that so many firms are working hard to find.

If these findings have sparked some internal questions, about your current setup, how long your team spends in the system each day, or how your software supports your workflow, we’d love to hear about it. And if you’re curious about how Hoowla could work in your firm, we’d be happy to show you.

Book a no-obligation demo, and see what’s possible.